maybe i'm just in love
by thequibblers
Summary: Tony doesn't know how they work.


First story/One-Shot. I have a lot of Stony feels, sigh.

I own nothing. Title from Ed Sheeran's 'Wake Me Up'.

* * *

Tony doesn't know how they work.

He's the 'genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist', the one who isn't able to have a working relationship because _fuck, _have you seen him? Drink after drink, one night stand after another, why should anyone love him? He thought about hitting on Pepper but no, that would destroy everything, it'd destroy their friendship and why ruin something that actually works for once? So he keeps drinking, keeps smiling at the cameras because that's what he's known his whole life, _smile for the cameras, Tony, smile_, and another woman talks to him with the all-so famous glint in her eyes because she only talks to to him for one thing, and he smiles and buys her a drink and then decides if he likes her and if he should bring her back to the mansion but the emptiness is slowly taking over, no woman (or man, hell) can change the guilt and loneliness which is consuming him.

And then there's The Avengers and he meets Steve and he forces himself to hate him because _come on, Tony, your dad loved this guy more than you he never had time for you because he kept looking for the famous Captain America_ but Tony finds himself staring at him, noticing the little frown whenever someone makes a pop culture reference, noticing how his lips part slightly when he meets him for the first time and Tony can already see the word on his tongue, _Howard,_ but Steve closes his mouth and Tony dies five, ten times inside because _of fucking course _everyone likes Howard, the big Howard Stark and nobody likes Tony, people are looking at him like he doesn't deserve the name Stark and Tony hates that name, he hates the expectations everyone has of you, he hates the looks, he hates _every fucking thing._

But this is Tony Stark, he can't just tell the publicy he hated his father, no, he can't say his father was an enormous dick, he has to smile and _smile, Tony, you're a Stark._

He and Steve get to know each other eventually and he starts to like the other Avengers, too, they all live in the tower and they become a family, sort of, Bruce and Steve are the ones who cook and they have movie nights and Clint and Tony go grocery shopping _what the fuck _this is Tony Stark, he shouldn't be shopping for food, he always thought the food magically appeared in the fridge but Steve insisted on it and, let's be real, Tony'd do anything for Steve, nobody can resist the puppy eyes.

Tony finds himself staring _again _but he can't help it, he likes the way Steve blushes deeply whenever Natasha and Clint make sexual references, he likes the way Steve's eyes light up whenever someone suggests to watch a movie (Steve secretly hoped they'd watch Tangled, he was literally in love with that movie after he watched it for the first time) and Tony likes everything about Steve, his smile, his laugh, his eyes, his hair, his lips.

But this is bad, really bad, Tony never wanted to have feelings for one of his teammates, he never wanted to have feelings for someone _at all. _But this is Steve and Steve seems to like him, too, Tony catches Steve watching him and Steve turns red and leaves the room but this is nothing, Tony tells himself, Steve doesn't like him, he doesn't know a thing about Tony, only what he read and heard from the news. And Tony tells himself that day after day and locks himself in his workshop and ignores JARVIS who tells him that Steve is looking for him, tries to forget about Steve, about Steve's laugh, smile, eyes, voice, _Steve, Steve, Steve._

It's late and Steve comes down to tell him he should go to bed but Tony refuses and Steve just puts a hand on his shoulder and asks in that _freaking soft and understanding vocie_ if something's wrong because Tony had been locked in the workshop for over 70 hours and _wow has it really been that long _but Tony just shrugs and says there's been worse days and Steve sighs and sends him a disapproving look and Tony finds himself talking and talking, talking about why he's in the workshop, talking about his feelings but Steve is gone long before that and only JARVIS is there to listen to him.

Pepper comes the next day and literally drags his ass up the stairs, makes him a coffee and simply says "Talk" and Tony talks, he talks until there are four empty mugs of coffee before him and Pepper smiles and tells him to talk to Steve and Tony says there's no point in that if Steve doesn't feel the same way and Pepper just smiles that famous Pepper smile which means she knows something and he decides to talk to Steve.

Their first kiss is in his workshop, Tony is telling him everything and after he's done Steve chuckles to himself and Tony wonders _what the hell did I do wrong _but Steve kisses him and Tony stares at him with big eyes but slowly starts enjoying the kiss and smiles, he waited three months for that and after one little talk with Pepper everything seems to fall into place.

The first night they spend together is breathtaking and Steve asks Tony why he hasn't told him sooner but Tony only shrugs and reluctantly says, "I was scared" and Steve kisses him and maybe he is able to have a relationship, he is ready for a relationship with someone he loves and someone who loves him and Steve definitely loves him and for the first time in his life Tony found someone who doesn't love him for his money or his name or _hell_, some people even love him because of his father but Steve only loves him, not Tony Stark, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist, but Tony, only Tony. And somehow, they work.

Scratch the playboy part.


End file.
